HIV infection is the leading cause of death in women of reproductive age. (Photo Courtesy UNAIDS/P.Virot)

Today is the World Aids Day. In Uganda it will be 27 years since the first case of a person living with HIV/Aids was diagnosed and made public. But today's commemoration rather than mark a celebration of gains made in the HIV/Aids war, should be a deep reflection on achievements now threatened by stagnation and rise in new infections.

According to the Uganda Aids Commission, 37.7 per cent of the current mode of transmission is through multiple sexual relationships--accounting for the highest mode of transmission. Also of the 110,000 new infections reported annually, majority occur among married couples--perhaps tying in with the problem of multiple sexual partners. This largely explains why despite fighting a protracted war that saw HIV prevalence rates drop from double digit figures in the early 90s, the government's efforts to push for a drop from the current 6.5 per cent prevalence has hit a dead end.

According to the commission, this state of affairs is mainly attributable to changes in sexual behaviour, the onset of drugs, complacency of the population and reduction in use of condoms. In brief, people seem to have gotten too used to the threat of Aids that they are becoming less threatened. And therein lie our current problems.

Whatever the scholars and experts might say or prescribe, the responsibility of fighting and avoiding HIV/Aids lies with the individual. For example, a married man or woman who chooses to have an extra-marital relationship has the choice of not doing it. An old man who opts to serve a young student as a sugar daddy has the option of playing caring parent or mentor. Youths who have sex without a condom can choose to abstain until marriage.

The point is--the battle to fight and check of the spread of HIV/Aids is largely a battle of the self. It starts with the individual and ends with him/her. But this war could also be better aided if majority Ugandans knew their sero status.

For example, whereas statistics indicate that there are 1.1 million Ugandans living with HIV, these are drawn only from 12 per cent of the population that has been courageous enough to test. That means the figures could be much higher if everyone went for a test. And unless we all know our status, and plot a way forward, we shall remain like people groping in the dark.